Ontario reporting delays for pap test results

Two large private labs that process millions of pap tests a year in Ontario say they’re experiencing a backlog in results. The wait for results has increased significantly in recent months.

Lifelabs and Dynacare process millions of pap tests a year in Ontario. They both tell CHCH News they’re experiencing a backlog in results because the demand for pap tests exceeds the provincial capacity.

As the COVID-19 pandemic slows down, the need for pap tests has gone up. CEO of the Medical Laboratory Professionals’ Association of Ontario (MLPAO), Michelle Hoad, says the wait time was around two weeks, but now patients are waiting up to two months.

“The number of cytotechnologists and medical lab technologists in the province have always been a problem,” Hoad said. Cytotechnologists are the specialists who examine abnormal cells potentially found during pap tests. The test is used to find pre-cancerous cell changes in the cervix.

“There’s only one cytology program here at Michener Institute in downtown Toronto. From a services perspective of what we are able to provide in the province of Ontario, there has been a shortage,” Hoad said.

“With the resumption of surgeries and people going back for physicals, there has been a huge demand for pap smears. They are struggling with just keeping up with the demand,” Hoad said.

Hoad says the delays do not affect people who are experiencing symptoms, “if you’ve got signs and symptoms, you are made a priority. What’s not priority is when you’ve just got a regular test being done.”

Possible solutions are now being looked at, “can we fund, and maybe bring back people who are retired into the lab to train students? The second thing is to really push universities and colleges to add more seats so we get more students to graduate,” Hoad explained.

A spokesperson for health minister Sylvia Jones says the ministry is in contact with labs and Ontario Health to discuss the turnaround times and is monitoring plans by labs to return to normal service levels.